Toward Shoplifting Grandma
When Tarrant, Alabama Police Officer William Stacy was called to the Dollar General store on Saturday, December 6, he wasnt especially surprised. We get shoplifting calls at Dollar General all the time, he tells Yahoo Parenting. Usually people are stealing things like makeup or phone chargers  not things they need to get by.

So when Stacy arrived to find 47-year-old Helen Johnson stealing eggs to feed her two daughters, her niece, and two young grandkids, he knew this incident was different. Johnson explained to Stacy that her family hadnt eaten since Thursday. So instead of making an arrest, the officer, 23, bought Johnson a carton of eggs. When she mentioned the kids and said they were hungry, thats when I knew I wanted to buy the eggs, Stacy says. No matter what financial situation kids are in, its not their fault theyre hungry.

there are plenty of good cops out there, but like anything its the bad news that usually sell.

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You're making this comment while reading a story from Yahoo News, republished from a news site published in Alabama on a story that has been covered by Fox News, People Magazine, and the New York Daily News.

Sure, bad news sells, but don't try to turn this story into a media critique.

Being nice to someone is the generally expected day-to-day sort of behavior - for the most part, beyond notably non-ordinary acts of kindness, it's not newsworthy. On the other hand, almost all bad behavior gets reported in the news, no matter who does it, even if it's just a crime blotter mention in the local paper. So why is it surprising that police behaving badly gets news attention, but police behaving properly doesn't? Are you saying that police being nice is such a rare event that it should receive national exposure each time? Similarly, should I get a news article published about myself when I give somebody food, or donate clothing, or do something else charitable?

Being nice to someone is the generally expected day-to-day sort of behavior - for the most part, beyond notably non-ordinary acts of kindness, it's not newsworthy. On the other hand, almost all bad behavior gets reported in the news, no matter who does it, even if it's just a crime blotter mention in the local paper. So why is it surprising that police behaving badly gets news attention, but police behaving properly doesn't? Are you saying that police being nice is such a rare event that it should receive national exposure each time? Similarly, should I get a news article published about myself when I give somebody food, or donate clothing, or do something else charitable?

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You think the behavior in this story is expected police behavior and in their job description? To not only let someone go who was caught shoplifting but to go above and beyond and provide for her family? It it extraordinary and deserves recognition IMHO but usually these kinds of stories go unnoticed because it's not sexy enough for the MSM. There are some bad apples in law enforcement, no doubt about it, but the attention paid to the bad apples is overshadowing the overall good job that police are doing. This forum is often an example of the perpetuation of that distorted view of reality.

Being nice to someone is the generally expected day-to-day sort of behavior - for the most part, beyond notably non-ordinary acts of kindness, it's not newsworthy. On the other hand, almost all bad behavior gets reported in the news, no matter who does it, even if it's just a crime blotter mention in the local paper. So why is it surprising that police behaving badly gets news attention, but police behaving properly doesn't? Are you saying that police being nice is such a rare event that it should receive national exposure each time? Similarly, should I get a news article published about myself when I give somebody food, or donate clothing, or do something else charitable?

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instead of jailing her for shop lifting he helped her out, that was above & beyond IMHO.

There are some bad apples in law enforcement, no doubt about it, but the attention paid to the bad apples is overshadowing the overall good job that police are doing. This forum is often an example of the perpetuation of that distorted view of reality.

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This is so true. Our very own prolific and vocal LEO does give the police a bad name with his black and white thinking;

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It's okay, I understand. You feel that you should decide which laws you will obey and which ones that you will not.

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Right. So what I hear here is that you all feel justified in stealing.

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It's okay, I understand that many only choose to obey laws that they like. You can spin it any way you want, it's still an offense that could result in criminal and/or civil penalties.

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I love all the justifications for THEFT.

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I understand but my point is that you know it is illegal but choose to do it any way. How many other laws do you feel you can break?

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Work for it? Now that is a novel concept. But don't I just have a right to have it? Shouldn't the government just give it to me? Raise someone else's taxes to pay for it. I want it FREE.

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I could go on. That's just one thread of dozens. Thankfully not everyone sees the world in black and white - some can see grey and some can make wonderful, heartwarming decisions like the cop in the OP.

I don't know about Alabama but would assume he needed the cooperation of the merchant as well to not cite her.

It's a good all around story from the merchant to the responding cop and with the follow-up of the department to continue to help her. Adding to it is that the story came out from a disinterested person, not the merchant or the PD.

Cop will probably get a counseling statement later from his OIC, and will be back to tazing kids and punching women in the face before the year is over.

A cops jobs is to force down the will of the state, not humanity and kindness.

Not saying it's the cops fault, but that is the nature of the system. Humanity is optional and discouraged.

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How does your post have any 'up votes'? What in the hell is the matter with some of you? You poke and criticize every single mistake made by certain individual officers that serve their communities every day. Yet, you lack the mental capacity to acknowledge even one human being's act of kindness without stretching to find something negative to comment on. It's pathetic.

The Johnson City Salvation Army is reviewing its emergency shelter policy after the organization turned away a homeless family with a teenage son on a cold night earlier this month, all because of the boy's age.

Tim Lejeune says on one of the coldest nights of the year, despite the organization's white flag waving outside the shelter, the Salvation Army turned his family away, because his son is 15 years old.

"They said he's too old to stay on the women's side, because of the women running around in their pajamas and they said he's too young to stay on the men's side in case some pervert wants to do whatever," Lejeune said.

Lejeune says his wife, their 15 year-old son, 16 year-old daughter and five year-old son, all down on their luck, have been living in their car for the last several weeks.
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Prepared to return to their cars to sleep in 18 degree weather, Johnson City police officers came upon the family and took up their cause. However, that proved unsuccessful.

Certain the family should not be expected to sleep in their car on one of the coldest nights of the year, the officers brought the family to the Johnson Inn and then did something remarkable. They pooled their resources and were prepared to pay for a motel room for the family with money out of their own pockets.

"They collected money to put the family up and when they were at the Johnson Inn, the clerk that was working there that night realized what was going on, so they themselves comped the room for the family," Maj. Garry Younger said. "In return, the officers took the money they collected and went and bought groceries that they gave to the family. I'm very proud that we employ people with that fortitude that care about the citizens."
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Police officers AD McElroy, Justin Jenkins, Toma Sparks and Robert McCurry were not the only ones to help this family with a selfless act. Along with police, Washington County-Johnson City 911 dispatchers on shift two helped raise enough money to buy this family groceries, dinner and leave some cash behind for them.
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The Johnson City Salvation Army is reviewing its emergency shelter policy after the organization turned away a homeless family with a teenage son on a cold night earlier this month, all because of the boy's age.

Tim Lejeune says on one of the coldest nights of the year, despite the organization's white flag waving outside the shelter, the Salvation Army turned his family away, because his son is 15 years old.

"They said he's too old to stay on the women's side, because of the women running around in their pajamas and they said he's too young to stay on the men's side in case some pervert wants to do whatever," Lejeune said.

Lejeune says his wife, their 15 year-old son, 16 year-old daughter and five year-old son, all down on their luck, have been living in their car for the last several weeks.
...
Prepared to return to their cars to sleep in 18 degree weather, Johnson City police officers came upon the family and took up their cause. However, that proved unsuccessful.

Certain the family should not be expected to sleep in their car on one of the coldest nights of the year, the officers brought the family to the Johnson Inn and then did something remarkable. They pooled their resources and were prepared to pay for a motel room for the family with money out of their own pockets.

"They collected money to put the family up and when they were at the Johnson Inn, the clerk that was working there that night realized what was going on, so they themselves comped the room for the family," Maj. Garry Younger said. "In return, the officers took the money they collected and went and bought groceries that they gave to the family. I'm very proud that we employ people with that fortitude that care about the citizens."
...
Police officers AD McElroy, Justin Jenkins, Toma Sparks and Robert McCurry were not the only ones to help this family with a selfless act. Along with police, Washington County-Johnson City 911 dispatchers on shift two helped raise enough money to buy this family groceries, dinner and leave some cash behind for them.
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Read the whole thing.

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And yet there are some here that believe these and all cops would rather be punching people in the face.

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